As part of the National Housing Council’s study on the lack of accessible housing in Canada, CUPE made a submission identifying the physical, social and economic barriers people with disabilities face, and outlining changes governments could make to address them.
The submission takes a broad view of the issue, arguing that “accessible housing” is not only about homes people can physically move around in, but also about the other challenges making life harder for people with disabilities. Those barriers include affordability, underfunding of support programs and public services, weak accountability for landlords, service gaps and other structural barriers that compound for equity-deserving groups.
The submission identifies key issues, including:
- Low income assistance rates
- Compounding barriers, such as requiring a care provider to access a disability tax credit
- Lack of rent controls and social housing
- Harm caused by investor landlords and the lack of oversight to protect renters
- Fragmented government programs leading to flawed program design, inconsistent supports and unequal outcomes
It also emphasizes the importance of investing in public services and the workers who deliver them. Better resources, job security and working conditions for those workers will lead to better outcomes for the people who rely on them.
The submission calls for stronger, across-the-board supports for everyone in Canada, including better job protections, health care and income assistance. It also argues that disability and housing justice require specific and targeted measures for marginalized groups given the evidence of systemic inequality in Canada. Many people face multiple and overlapping barriers because of their identities.
- As of 2023, roughly 1.5 million persons with disabilities lived in poverty.
- 49% of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals worry about housing discrimination.
- Indigenous peoples experience higher rates of unaffordable or inadequate housing compared to the general population.
The right to housing isn’t just a slogan. It’s a legal protection grounded in legislation, court decisions and multiple agreements signed by the Canadian government.
The submission sets out 16 recommendations to uphold that right. You can read the full submission and CUPE’s recommendations here.
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